Informal poll for the IR's: do you fly single piston in IMC?

[Lead Sled]

But, does that mean that I'm going to quit flying night VMC in a single-engine airplane? No, not at all. It simply means that I'll ensure that I take more precaution in where I fly, and make sure to stick to it.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here; but just what precautions does one take to make night SE XC flying safe? I'd like to hear everyone's answers and reasoning.

LS

 

[BenWA]

Depending on where you do most of your flying, finding a suitable place to make a forced landing during daylight--even on the clearest of days--can be a serious undertaking (e.g., the hilly, forested terrain in the less-inhabited parts of the PNW). I can assure you that it doesn't get any easier at night.

If you insist on flying your Skyhawk at night, rule number one should be to never, ever fly beyond gliding distance of an airport (with lights), ever. In some places, airports are sparse enough that they would require an altitude greater than the airplane's service ceiling to satisfy the aforementioned rule. Otherwise, your options are slim.

Where I do most of my flying, ditching in the water along the shoreline of Puget Sound is about as good as it gets for night forced landings if you are outside gliding range of an airport. Swimming off shore in my jeans after dark, choking on avgas in the water isn't my idea of a good time, and I don't ever intend to schedule it into my evening plans.

 

[Lead Sled]

Depending on where you do most of your flying, finding a suitable place to make a forced landing during daylight--even on the clearest of days--can be a serious undertaking (e.g., the hilly, forested terrain in the less-inhabited parts of the PNW). I can assure you that it doesn't get any easier at night.

If you insist on flying your Skyhawk at night, rule number one should be to never, ever fly beyond gliding distance of an airport (with lights), ever. In some places, airports are sparse enough that they would require an altitude greater than the airplane's service ceiling to satisfy the aforementioned rule. Otherwise, your options are slim.

Where I do most of my flying, ditching in the water along the shoreline of Puget Sound is about as good as it gets for night forced landings if you are outside gliding range of an airport. Swimming off shore in my jeans after dark, choking on avgas in the water isn't my idea of a good time, and I don't ever intend to schedule it into my evening plans.

Evidently you haven't heard of the off-airport night landing method that I was taught...

When you lose your engine at night over unknown terrain you turn off all of your lights until just prior to impact. At that point, you turn on your landing lights. If you like what you see, leave them on. If you don't like what you see you simply turn them off. No one has ever provided me with a better solution to the problem.

LS

 

[unreal]

If you insist on flying your Skyhawk at night, rule number one should be to never, ever fly beyond gliding distance of an airport (with lights), ever. In some places, airports are sparse enough that they would require an altitude greater than the airplane's service ceiling to satisfy the aforementioned rule. Otherwise, your options are slim.

Well, I don't insist on flying my Skyhawk at night. They insist that I fly their Skyhawk at night.

Really, it's just like the FEX guys. I don't have much of a choice in the matter a good bit of the time, and even then, some units need to be completed at night (night XC training for my Private student). I know that's a cop-out reasoning, but in order to not be flying SE pistons at night, I'd have to quit my job. I'd quit if I felt that my safety was in jeopardy, but we fly SE pistons every night and not one has gone down in the years we've been doing it due to a mechanical problem. I trust maintenance here quite a bit, and I'm very familiar with the terrain on any of the XC routes I teach on.

 

[tathepilot]

If you insist on flying your Skyhawk at night, rule number one should be to never, ever fly beyond gliding distance of an airport (with lights), ever.

i mean really are you serious..!!! you do know driving is more dangerous than flying.. so in that case why don't you walk to work..

 

[tathepilot]

Evidently you haven't heard of the off-airport night landing method that I was taught...

When you lose your engine at night over unknown terrain you turn off all of your lights until just prior to impact. At that point, you turn on your landing lights. If you like what you see, leave them on. If you don't like what you see you simply turn them off. No one has ever provided me with a better solution to the problem.

LS

yes, ive heard of this method! works well

 

[BenWA]

i mean really are you serious..!!! you do know driving is more dangerous than flying.. so in that case why don't you walk to work..

Actually, the stats indicate that you are 7-8 times more likely to have a fatal accident flying in a small GA airplane than you are driving/riding in a car.

It's the professional air carriers that have the better safety record.

Sometimes I do walk to work.

 

[Way2Broke]

Actually, the stats indicate that you are 7-8 times more likely to have a fatal accident flying in a small GA airplane than you are driving/riding in a car.

It's the professional air carriers that have the better safety record.

Sometimes I do walk to work.

Where did you get those stats?

 

[tathepilot]

actually benwa is correct.... but that is only in the ga category

http://www.meretrix.com/~harry/flying/notes/safetyvsdriving.html

 

[avbug]

.... but that is only in the ga category

Seeing as the topic is light single engine piston powered airplanes, that ought to do.